Henry O’Hara 1843-1923

The corbel of Henry O’Hara shows him holding a model of the Cathedral. O’Hara had a reputation as a “builder of churches”. He had succeeded his father as Rector of Coleraine and supervised the restoration of the parish church and the building of its bell tower. Bishop D’Arcy is his memoirs records that O’Hara “had not only inspired the undertaking, but also given most generously to it.” O’Hara was appointed Vicar of Belfast to the old parish church of St. Anne in 1894. He soon saw that the growing city of Belfast, the centre of the most populous diocese in Ireland, had urgent need of a cathedral to be the focus of its religious life. Bishop D’Arcy recalls that the old parish church of St. Anne was too small for this purpose and whilst there were newer and larger churches, “none of them was fit to become a cathedral for the city and the diocese”.

The General Synod - the ruling body of the Church of Ireland - granted a cathedral charter to St. Anne’s and Henry O’Hara, Vicar of Belfast, became its first dean. The insight and enthusiasm with which he had thrown himself into this immense project, and the energy and self-sacrifice which he showed in raising funds to carry it out, were thereby recognised by the Church. It was decided to build the nave first because it was felt that there was an urgent need to provide “a great church” where the central services for the whole of this the largest of dioceses could be held. Bishop D’Arcy recalled that “Capacity was the first essential” and so the walls began to rise around and above the old St. Anne’s Church.

In February 1900, and while the work was in this condition, Dean O’Hara was elected Bishop of Cashel and in early March of that year D’Arcy was elected Vicar of Belfast and appointed Dean by the bishop. He later wrote, “Thus suddenly and most unexpectedly I found myself called to undertake a duty for which I discerned I had no special capacity, and for which no experience had prepared me.”

Bishop D’Arcy commented, “A cathedral should be, in all its parts, a work of high art: the prosaic measurements of time, space, and money are surely secondary considerations. It was our architects’ task to lure us on by revealing the vision; but it was the board’s task to see that the limits of possibility were not passed.”

O’Hara and D’Arcy shared a vision of this cathedral and its role. But like any vision, it took the reality of hard-working endeavour by their generation and subsequent generations to make the vision a reality. They are living proof that vision and effort are twin tracks. A vision which is not earthed is useless. They are also proof of the truth in St. Paul’s teaching about Christian ministry that it falls to one person to do something, and to another to build - at times literally - upon the foundations another has left. And the shared goal is the Glory of God through service to Jesus Christ.

POINTERS FOR PRAYER

+ Pray for those who had the vision to build this cathedral; those who led this effort and those who were their co-workers.

+ Pray that God will continue to call suitable leaders - ordained and lay - at critical times and in particular places, to forward the mission of the Church.

+ Pray for the clergy and lay members of this cathedral in their various ministries.

Text - Copyright, Dean of Belfast, 2005.